This review proposes that 21% of MBSR program participants can expect to have an improved mental health outcome than if they were to have ‘usual treatment’ or were ‘wait-listed’ (De Vibe et al, 2017).

What is Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)?

Liu, Sun and Zhong (2017) describe mindfulness practices in MBSR as often including ‘meditations, body scanning and yoga.’

Liu et al. (2017) have written a protocol for an MBSR intervention for carers of people with dementia. It is suggested that this intervention may alleviate the carer’s worries and ruminations often felt by healthcare professionals.

This is achieved by promoting acceptance, stress-management and being mindful of the present moment.

Stress in Nursing

With stress in nursing being a contemporary issue (Sarafis et al. 2016), it is evident that nurses should consider ways to minimise stress and optimise their wellbeing.

Sarafis et al. (2016) highlight that stress related to nursing is connected to a poor quality of life, and may in turn affect client health outcomes.

Whilst it is proposed that professional help in the form of face-to-face CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) with a competent psychologist is more effective than self-help, self-help interventions could still help people with anxiety disorders that do not want to or cannot access professional help (Mayo-Wilson & Montgomery, 2013).

Mayo-Wilson and Montgomery (2013) highlight that anxiety disorders are unlikely to be entirely resolved without intervention. Hence, it could be concluded that clients and/or nurses experiencing anxiety disorders should consider seeking professional help from a psychologist skilled in CBT to work towards reducing negative experiences related to anxiety.

Exercise and Cognition

It is believed that exercise may be beneficial for the cognition of children and older adults (however, a study by Erickson et al (2015) also highlighted a need for more RCTs (randomised controlled trials) to investigate this phenomenon further.)

Kennedy et al. (2017) also acknowledge that there is a need for future research to investigate the reasons for these phenomena.

It is also important to note that hydration influences cognition (Casals Vazquez et al, 2015). The review by Casals Vazquez et al. (2015) showed that overall dehydration impaired cognition of athletes.

Although this finding was focused on athletes, it can serve as a reminder to nurses and clients to remain hydrated to optimise their cognitive performance.

For nurses, in particular, this information may be important for promotion of client safety. Nursing as already described can be a stressful occupation. It is important for nurses to engage in self-care to provide better client care.

Weight and Cognition

Interestingly, in a meta-analysis by Veronese et al (2016), improved cognition resulted from weight loss. Specifically, this improved cognitive effect related to better attention and memory (Veronese et al, 2016). Therefore, people that are overweight or obese could consider having further medical evaluations done by health professionals to check if intentional weight loss is a suitable goal for them. This could potentially result in improved cognition, as per the study by Veronese et al (2016).

Activity

Before finishing this article, you may want to engage in the following cognitive game:

Sarafis et al. (2017). The impact of occupational stress on nurses’ caring behaviors and their health related quality of life. Retrieved 18/4/18 from https://bmcnurs.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12912-016-0178-y